Top 10: Political Sex Scandals

Ah, politicians. Idealistic men and women who want to make the world a better place, or corrupt men and women who are self-serving and egomaniacal. Whatever your view on politics, there is one aspect of the lives of politicians that takes up more column inches than even the worst of political gaffes. Even as America tears itself to pieces over the health-care debate, while the UK parliament reels from the MP expenses scandal, you can be sure that a good old-fashioned sex scandal would overshadow all these issues.

Newspapers gleefully expose every detail of a sordid affair slowly, gleefully smearing as many reputations into ruin as possible. Political sex scandals are about much more than just people getting caught with their pants down. To many, they suggest that these people cannot be trusted. If they lie about having an affair, if they break marriage vows, then how can they be trusted on other issues? In some cases, these scandals are so damaging, they can destroy careers, or even bring down governments. Here are 10 of the most shocking and salacious political sex scandals in history.